Allamorph

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']Don't be silly. Are you saying that a parent should not know that Sin City and The Incredibles are on two totally different planes of existence in terms of violence and maturity? Are you saying that a parent should not know that, despite it's moments of animation, Kill Bill is not intended for children?[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Of course not. [quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial']Essentially, I blame the audience's lack of discretion for any influencing that may occur or may have occurred. The only thing crying "foul!" about it will accomplish is ridiculous rating protocol that will most likely be ignored anyway.[/FONT][/quote] That's what I mean by ineffective. Ratings are pretty much cursory right now, and I would think that previews are quite sufficient for a parent to decide upon a movie's suitablilty or lack thereof.[/FONT]

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink']Which makes me curious; do any of you naysayers think that we should abolish the ratings system entirely because movies don't influence people? That's what the entire thing is for; to keep things like sex and violence from influencing kids. [/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Actually, I'd like to abolish the rating system because it's just plain ineffective, mostly due to ambiguous messaging present in the [strike]scores[/strike] scripts?which brings up another thought: there is a marked difference between realistic smoking and advertising smoking. [QUOTE][COLOR=deeppink][I]I can attest to that; when I was a kid, I thought Groucho Marx was the coolest mofo on the planet. I wanted to be like him, so I took to pretending I was smoking cigars by putting a pencil or something in my mouth.[/I][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Groucho's cigar was a part of his image, just as Sherlock Holmes' tobacco pipe and opium were a part of his. I also thought Groucho was pretty dang awesome (PDA...heh.), just as I still emulate Holmes nine years after I first picked him up. They didn't inspire me to smoke because I could recognize the smoking as an image thing that did not tie in completely with who they were; Conan Doyle even has Watson acknowledge Holmes' habits as vices. I also thought the Three Stooges were the stuff, but they didn't inspire me to get a bowl-cut or go baldie. True, I wanted to be like them, so I cracked wise (still do), I pulled schtick, and I taught myself how to observe and notice and think and connect. I picked up their mannerisms, but never felt the need to pick up their habits. Point being, Marx and Holmes did not (as far as I know) smoke to promote smoking. Granted, Holmes is a character on paper, but in the few movies based on Conan Doyle's work the producers kept the pipe because it was a recognized part of his image, right along with the cap. [quote name='vegeta rocker's article][FONT=Arial']In its defence, the MPAA points out that the worst excesses of tobacco companies paying for their wares to be planted in movies have been curbed by prohibitions in place since 1998. Instances prior to this include the $350,000 (£175,000) paid to producers of Licence to Kill for James Bond to be seen smoking Larks, or the $40,000 Philip Morris paid for Lois Lane to drag on Marlboros in Superman II.[/FONT][/quote] These are obvious cases of smoking to advertise, and while Superman may have been for everyone, License to Kill was most certainly not produced with small children in mind. Essentially, I blame the audience's lack of discretion for any influencing that may occur or may have occurred. The only thing crying "foul!" about it will accomplish is ridiculous rating protocol that will most likely be ignored anyway. It's like suing McDonald's because you burned your crotch with their hot coffee. Either way you look like a doofus.[/FONT]

[quote name='killua']Cartoon network going down the drain with anime?[/quote] [FONT=Arial]I think by this point it's a safe call that nobody thinks so. Really, it's quite nice that [as] is still showing anime [U]at[/U] [U]all[/U]: InuYasha is still on really really late weeknights, along with Voltron (not sure if one can count Shin Chan as anime...); and Saturday is kind of a nice haven after 11:00 (eastern time, that is). I do wish that the Big O wasn't relegated to five-in-the-bloody-morning, what with it being a great series with my all-time favorite chick character R. Dorothy. (That's two reasons, just to be clear. :p ) In Toonami's case, PoT is a little corny but entertaining at the same time (I love laughing at the total DBZ-ness of it all) and MÄR is a peculiar concept, but it shows they're branching out.... Really, the only possible way that CN fails is that there's a markéd quantity of other genre present?and that's to be expected, no? The anime audience may very well be desirable, but CN and [as] have to cater to the others, such as those who fawn over Camp Lazlo and My Gym Partner's a Monkey and those who fawn over Moral Orel and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!. *points to that crack about the three Trigun fans* The head honchos need ratings, and these shows apparently get them. Especially Family Guy. But we all love Family Guy.[/FONT]

[quote name='Big Sky][COLOR=Gray']I'm always surprised when people outside of the country tell me they've never even heard of him.[/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]They've probably never heard of him because Canada sucks. :rolleyes: Joking. ----------------------------------- At the risk of sounding corny and/or mushy, my father. I am extraordinarily blessed to have the most awesome father on the face of the planet. Because of him I have an ingrained sense of respect for anyone at least twenty years my senior, a solid musical background in both classical [I]and[/I] jazz (which, in an interesting side-note, is kind of rare from what I've seen?most classically oriented people I know are quite square, and the reverse is sometimes true as well), and a knowledge of where exactly The Line is and when to/when not to cross it. He's also been involved at some level with every baseball team I've ever played on, and though he was skinnier at my age than I am, he could probably knock me senseless through sheer brute force. And he's not bald; his hair's silver at 46.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]More censorship. I point back to Ray Bradbury's [U][I]Fahrenheit 451[/I][/U] for precedence. Personally, I don't really care whether or not a film could potentially influence minors to smoke. Minors have brains, too; if they see someone on the silver screen with a cigarette (or other such item), the first thought should simply be "Oh, that person's smoking." The addition "Oh, that person's smoking, [I]so it must be a good thing to do[/I]" is a personal judgment, and the producers of a film shouldn't have to worry about whether or not every person who sees their film is capable of such discernment. That's not to say that I encourage smoking scenes in movies for very small children. I only mean that often for films the intended audience and the actual audience are not going to be the same.[/FONT]

[quote name='Raiyuu']Writer's block is a myth.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Bosh. Try attempting to alter a character's personality because you don't particularly care for some of his habits. I tried that once and went bone-dry for a solid month. [QUOTE][I]If it's your first draft it'll most likely be a load of rubbish, but the important thing is to write [B]something[/B] on that piece of paper/screen that you can go back to later and edit into a masterpiece.[/I][/QUOTE] True, in general. In my case, since I see everything I write before I write it, I already have it locked in as a set visual, and if the word doesn't fit the visual my flow shuts off. And I'm constantly editing anyway, so rubbish doesn't worry me. Thank you, though. [QUOTE][I]Or if you really can't progress you can always cheat and [U]use the thesaurus that [B]isn't[/B] in your head.[/U][/I][/QUOTE] That's assuming I haven't already cheated and used Roget's, which I only do in extreme emergencies and when I don't really care about connotation. Besides, my head's almost as thorough, and it doesn't have any of those annoying things called pages. :animesmil [/FONT]

[quote name='Vicky][SIZE=1][B]Allamorph[/B'] - Your post made me laugh, not in a bad way, mind you. It's the speech. It half reminds me of the way my friends talk, and since we're English, then obviously it's a thumbs up. Good job with Faust, considering I had high expectations for the character I am indeed impressed.[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial] Oh good. I [I]was[/I] a tad nervous.... I'm not sure how active I can be at this stage, what with Faust being so ... well, [I]Faust[/I]-like, and not really too terribly concerned with either side yet. I may simply throw in some random home-life scenes, and that reminds me: I should probably thresh out his house, if only for my own references. And I still want to see what the insofar inactives have in mind.[/FONT]

[center][IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/grindsgears.jpg[/IMG][/center] [FONT=Arial][center]Writer's block.[/center] It drives me absolutely bonkers, especially when I spend an entire morning accomplishing nothing but staring a hole in the piece of paper in front of me as I rack my Brain Thesaurus desperately for the right synonym for a word in the bloody [I]first line[/I] of my sketch, only to have the word present itself blithely to me hours later when I have nothing anywhere to write it down on. In today's wonderful case, [U]mournful[/U] and [U]dismal[/U]. Good God Almighty!, but that was aggravating. I love writing, but I swear, sometimes it can drive me up the wall. Literally [I]and[/I] proverbially. Criminy.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Finally got something up. I've had the worst case of writer's block ever for the past four days?I couldn't even write my own stuff, and this morning I spent two hours agonizing over the right synonym for mournful and gave up. It finally, [I]finally[/I] hit me as I was watching the local girls' softball league play that the word was [U]dismal[/U], which was only in the first bloody line of my post. Curses. (Not that their playing made me think of it; the two events happened to occur at the same time. :animeswea ) Anyway, forgive me if I went a smidge overboard with the dialect there. I calls 'em like I sees 'em. I am going to have a good deal of fun with Mr. Aleister Faust. A good deal of fun.[/FONT]

[indent][Align=justify][SIZE=1]Another rainy night in London, and the city was once again shrouded in darkness, the gloom broken only by the dismal glow cast by an occasional street lamp. In their defense, the lamps were working as they were intended to function, but it was a function that they fulfilled in name only; the light they gave off did little but illuminate a fragment of the surrounding road. Large sections of the streets were left enveloped in shadows, creating an ambience of desertion further accentuated by the almost complete absence of life. S.O.L.F. footmen, spread mathematically in singles and pairs, patrolled various streets, intersections, and alleys, providing the city with its only motion. At least, its only overt motion. Above the street level, on one of the buildings? rooftops, a black shadow materialized from the fog that was descending over London. After a small pause, the shape began to grow upwards; it simultaneously became thinner on the sides, as if it were an overgrown amoeba of sorts. It continued its redefinition until it stood around two meters tall, assuming as it did so the silhouette of a person in a heavy overcoat and fedora holding a long, straight cane in its left hand. The figure, who had actually landed on the roof those few seconds ago and had merely been in the process of standing up, began to stroll casually forward, humming cheerfully to itself. After walking two-thirds of its way across the roof, the figure came smoothly to a halt, and, still humming, appeared to turn its head to the right. Below it in that direction, a couple of S.O.L.F. regulars stood keeping silent vigil over their particular juncture. The shadow studied them for a moment?it was quite obvious that their silence was not due so much to regulation as it was to the simple fact that this duo had been guarding the same intersection together for so long that they actually had nothing left to say, even in random quips. The only thing the men really did anymore was earn their pay, since nothing else ever moved. The shadow decided to enliven their day?well, night, as it were. It continued its humming. [I]Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey, chim chim, cher-ee....[/I] Its right arm brushed back its coat, its right hand slipping quickly in and out of the right pocket of its suit jacket. It flicked its wrist sharply. A clatter off to the soldiers? right unexpectedly shattered the silence, causing both men to start violently. From the different natures of their startle motions, the shadow guessed that the one facing away from it had been almost asleep; his breathing was by far the most rapid. The other man jerked his head around, his hands catching up his weapon. [B]?You ?ear ?at?? ?I ?eard somethin?. Wot was it?? ?Dunno. Whyntch?a go ?n ?ave a peek??[/B] The sleeper hesitated. [B]? ?Ow?s about we wait ?n see if it comes out instead.?[/B] Oh, now that was just silly. As if whatever running around dodging the sentries at one-in-the-bloody-morning was going to bother to interrupt its illicit excursions and present itself to them in the process. Puh-[I]lease[/I]. The shadow?s hand dived in and out of its pocket a second time. [I]Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey, chim chim, cher-oo....[/I] Another clatter, this time from across the square. The guards whirled nervously. [B]?Blimey, it?s on th? other side now,?[/B] the first man said to his partner, not enlightening anyone. It occurred to the shadow that the man was functioning rather like the nearby lamppost: dismally. [B]? ?Ere, you! Come out and show yourself.?[/B] Oh, Lord, now the guy was trying to [I]command[/I]. How rich. The shadow tested the air and was surprised to have his suspicions refuted. The rain made scenting them extraordinarily hard, but the men were actually vampires. The shadow felt a small sense of embarrassment at the knowledge that some of his kind were capable of this level of incompetence. He briefly debated beaning the lousy excuses for S.O.L.F. henchmen with a few well-deserved projectiles, but finally dismissed it as pointless. One couldn?t go around fixing every case of inanity one found. Below, the first man continued his slow advance on what he thought was the position of the second clatter. He kept his gun trained uncertainly forward, his finger fidgeting with the safety lock. The sleeper, apparently the junior of the pair, had thought it best to remain at his post and provide his associate with moral support from the rear, and, if needed, fire support as well. [B]?Look,?[/B] the first man said to his supposed lurker, [B]?we don?t care ?oo you are, and we don?t want to ?urt you.? ?Yet,?[/B] the sleeper tossed in. His partner shot a brief glare over his shoulder. [B]?We don?t want to ?urt you,?[/B] he repeated deliberately. [B]?Just show yourself and we can escort you back??[/B] Something clattered on the roof; the sentries jerked their weapons upwards towards the sound and let off a couple of panicky shots, but Faust had long since gone, tired of his little game.[/SIZE][/align][/indent]

[quote name='Starwind']They voted, they established a government, we got Saddam, we got his kids, we got Zarqauwi, we trained there military, what else does he think we can do?[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Not to sound cynical, but probably hold out until after the next election so that someone else can handle the problem. :animesigh I'm glad you posted what you did. It's good to hear from someone other than the media, since they tend to blow things ridiculously out of proportion on either side of the issue. And on that note I agree with you. If we're not actually doing anything over there anymore, then why are we still there?[/FONT]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']Hey Water fox, perhaps you could explain a bit more as to why you want people's opinion? You say this is for a plot line, but a plot line for what? A story, a game, a manga you are drawing?[/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]If my memory serves me, I think this goes back to an earlier thread: [QUOTE]Originally posted by [B]Water fox, in [Any suggestions?][/B] [I]In the fantasy I'm working on, some magic users have an elemental focus. They are considered a higher class then other magic users, and wear necklaces, each depending on their elements. For earth its a leaf, fire a flame, however for air and water I'm not sure what symbols to use. For now water is just a wave, but I don't think it works. I don't have any idea what to use for air. Suggestions?[/I][/QUOTE] ------------------------- It's a tough call for an outsider to make, especially since I haven't yet looked at your style. (I plan on rectifying that, by the way.) I can say this, though: The generic option is kind of bland, since it's, well, generic. Standard Runescape stuff there. It's all right, but that's about it. The animals actually look kind of neat. Are you planning on putting little amulets in their shapes on the necklace, because that would be quite interesting. I would suggest, though that you switch the phoenix to the dragon, and use a hawk or falcon for the air; phoenix are a little hard to distinguish from regular birds, at least in my opinion. (Oh, and does anyone know what exactly the plural of phoenix actually is?) The crab would work, or a dolphin. Animal representation would give your magic an inherent nature quality. You left out the shape for water. Incidentally, you might want to take a look at the [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_elements][B]classical elements[/B][/URL] (that's a quick Wiki reference to start you off, and stay with the western elements), where each element had a geometric shape associated with it. If you represent magic this way, it might be strongly associated with old men who study old books [I]ad nauseum[/I] while locked in their studies, no? The stones I like. They make everything seem kind of mystical, otherworldly, and what. I assume with the opal you'll be using an iridescent blue-green stone? It looks very neat that way; keep in mind, though, that both opal and sapphire come in many colors. Sapphire is most commonly blue, but it does come in white. Air depends on what color you want to use for it; my initial tendency would be white or clear, but blue is perfectly fine, and the color's up to you anyway. For earth, though, you might want to use yellow topaz or some other darker stone. The final style you pick should reflect how you want magic to be used or to function in your story, so without clearer information about what you're planning to do with it, I can't suggest much else. I wish you luck, though, and I hope what I said didn't just further confuse you.[/FONT]

[quote name='visualkei']There are tough decisions to make. The majority of Americans voted to wage war in Iraq, we've barely cleaned up our mess, and I'm in disbelief that so many want to withdraw at a time like this. . . . We've got to find a way to best end something we've started, and I don't think walking away sounds right.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]There's also the unfortunate reminder that this region has been at war internally for an unbelievably long time. Fighting is almost a way of life there, and in fights like these, people die. You can't plan ahead for every car- or suicide-bomb or convoy ambush, and because you can't, more people will die. It's unavoidable. And I am inclined to agree that walking away is not advisable. Nevermind that it might possibly sound like admitting defeat; I could care less. You win some, you lose some. But keep in mind that [U]to the Islamic nation[/U] we are still viewed as a Christian power ? as infidels ? and we will eventually be attacked again.[/FONT]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange']I'm sorry, but just because I was born in America and happen to be alive now while this is an issue, I am automatically to blame for it? So your saying that, my uninvolvement IS, in fact, involvement. That i am absolutely on a side, no matter what? That because one person isn't making a difference, he's automatically making things worse?[/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Please pardon my bluntness, but, in order of asked questions: no, yes, yes, and no. The person who's decision created the issue is to blame for it, whether it goes well or ill. The only blame you as the individual take is the blame for not exercising your power to demonstrate your disapproval of said action. (And I do realize that your power as of now is extremely limited. Bear with me.) Yes, you are involved. The president is elected by the people to represent the people. In basic terms, when we put a president into office, we authorize him to make large-scale decisions on our behalf. If we don't like the way he's running things, then we do not re-elect him. If you say nothing, then you are obviously not telling him what a lousy job he may be doing, so you are implying that you support him. After all, how is the president supposed to know that he's royally screwing things up if no one says anything? No, one person will not make things worse by not making a difference. But neither will he make things better. Instead, he is allowing others to make things worse while he looks on and does nothing.[/FONT]

[quote name='Raiyuu']I always thought "Jaime" was supposed to be pronounced "High-me" with a guttural first "H" sound ... am I completely insane, or is that some kind of Eastern European pronounciation?[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Actually, that sounds more like Spanish ? "High-may", I mean. And Zeke, you can always point to Jamie Lee Curtis as a precedent. :animesmil I've never had any problems with people pronouncing my name. I mean, there's not a lot of ways one can screw up Aaron. Pretty straightforward. (It's always extremely entertaining when people try, though. That's a hard name to even mutilate on purpose.)[/FONT]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Get a boxing bag and a pair of gloves, beat the thing until you can't lift your arms and I guarantee you'll feel better. Bottling anger is the worst possible thing that can be done, as you are nearly certain to vent it at people who did nothing to deserve an outburst.[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial]I tried that, actually. I didn't really feel better at all. I felt more like I'd just beat the living snot out a boxing bag. (Actually, it was a piano, and I had no gloves on, but eh....) I suppose what happened was that I'd quit being angry by the time my brain sent the "punch piano" command to my arm, since that's what usually happens. And in that respect, I've been told that I bottle stuff up too much and that I need to get rid of it, but I honestly haven't a clue what that means. I mean, in order to bottle up anger, don't you kind of have to hold onto it? I rarely find an incentive to remain angry at something or someone unless they absolutely need to be beat, and that doesn't happen too often. (Which is good, I suppose; if I went around beating people all the time, nobody'd like me all that much. And I can't have that, now can I? :animesmil) This isn't to say that I don't ever get angry. I have been quite furious once or twice, and apparently I am somewhat scary. (I never take the time to notice, personally....) I generally just let stuff roll off me, though, and I only pretend to be irritated if there might be some humor gained by it. But that's just me.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]My apologies for the extreme tardiness of this sheet. I had several things I needed to take care of at the time, and I wished to be thorough with this character. -A[/FONT] [center]-----------------------------------------[/center] [align=justify][SIZE=1][B]Name:[/B] Aleister Faust [B]Age:[/B] Uncertain; estimated to be at least 1000. Faust is an ancient vampire, born years before the famous (or infamous) Olav of Norway, years before the bitter division of the clans. To those either brave enough or impertinent enough to ask him his age directly, he generally responds with sarcastic disinterest. On one occasion he was heard to remark: [indent][I]?I left off keeping count at around five hundred an ninety-three. It did not appear likely that I was to be killed anytime soon, and quite frankly the arithmetic was becoming tedious.?[/indent][/I]It is rumored that he has actually forgotten his age, if only because he has never once answered the question directly. [B]Species and Clan:[/B] Vampire/Undeclared. Faust has long since abandoned interest in clan politics, though those few old enough to remember believe he may have been Nicodemean. Because of his [I]de facto[/I] neutrality, he is able to consort freely with both clans, as he sees fit. [B]Appearance:[/B] Faust is unmistakably characterized by his tall, lean frame and gaunt features. His brow is high, his nose is long and thin, and his slender eyebrows are sharply defined angles, like two opposing, upside-down Nike symbols. His grey eyes, set perfectly on either side of his nose, alternate between calm inward reflection and a penetrating searching, and yet still manage to give very little away. His black hair is slicked neatly back and trimmed close to his neck. His cheekbones are high and pronounced, leaving his cheeks ever-so-slightly sunken, and his thin lips are generally curved in a quiet smile that speaks of a certain reserved arrogance deserving of one of his age and stature. His movements are almost languid, but fluid and sure, like those of a domestic feline out for a stroll. He has never been seen to wear anything but highly stylish suits in perfectly coordinated, if sometimes unusual, colors?his favorites are quite obviously black, garnet, and deep blue, though he will wear others as the mood strikes him. Aside from that, there are four items that Faust is never seen without: a pair of driving gloves, black or white depending on his suit; a custom fedora with an extended front brim, of which he owns several and which he likes to wear pulled a little lower than one might think normal; a custom pair of black, silver-tinted sunglasses that form precisely to the contour of his face, with silver accents around the earpiece hinges; and a simple, straight black cane with a spherical knob handle. [B]Personality:[/B] It is difficult to directly describe Aleister Faust. Upon first meeting him, one initially wants to call him eccentric, and yet the word ?eccentric? itself carries with it a certain spastic connotation, not unlike Christopher Lloyd?s portrayal of ?Doc? in [I]Back to the Future[/I], and if Faust is anything, it is most certainly [U]not[/U] spastic. ?Peculiar? seems to simple, ?puzzling? too childlike, and ?weird? too ignorant and uncultured. Even ?bizarre?, though it comes close, doesn?t quite seem to fit; he is, well ? odd. He is odd. Perhaps the most obvious showcase of his oddity is in his interaction with other vampires (he has yet had no incentive to commune with humans). He never directly faces the person or persons he is addressing unless he wishes to make a point, and he tends to speak cryptically, almost at, and quite possibly for, his own amusement. Often times the meaning of his words is not fully grasped until much later, if indeed there is any meaning at all. Certainly Faust has been known to make no discernable sense whatsoever, and sometimes by his own admission. Unlike other of the vampire elders, Faust?s voice exerts no obvious power over his audience, or if it ever did he now keeps it quelled. It is, however, pleasing to listen to, in that it seems to inspire clarity of thought in the hearer?s mind, instead of clouding the mind?s reason, as vampires are supposedly notorious for doing. Faust also has a great love for language, and always appears to know exactly what he wants to say exactly when and exactly how he wants to say it. It is therefore rather difficult to catch him off-guard. [B]Biography:[/B] Aleister Faust is one of thee oldest vampires still known to exist, and as such his knowledge of vampiric history is immense; some say he even knew the two clan Lords personally at one point. He also holds the honorable distinction of being a born vampire, though he does not speak otherwise of his childhood. Indeed, he speaks little of his own past at all, dismissing it on the occasions it happens to arise as longwinded, boring, and irrelevant. It [U]is[/U] known that his parents were killed in a religious raid only a few decades into his life, but there is no current record of the incident, its participants, or its consequences, which is unusual. Faust invariably dodges the subject. [B]Extras:[/B] Though records were mentioned before, they are secondary with respect to Faust. Faust is essentially the self-contained annals of the entire vampiric history; for anything that ever happened, he was either alive for or was told directly by a firsthand witness. In addition to his love for words, Faust is also an accomplished musician, and is able to play a wide variety of instruments. He was once asked which his favorite was, and he responded thus: [I][indent]?Currently I favor the pipe organ, the cello, and the trombone, though who knows what may happen in a century?s time. Consider the electric guitar.? [indent]?You play the electric guitar??[/indent] ?I play a great many things for my own amusement. I have also destroyed half a dozen bagpipes.? [indent]?What?!?[/indent] ?They irritated me. There [U]was[/U] a seventh, but that one I destroyed for the mere hell of it.?[/indent][/I]One of his more signature and sometimes annoying traits is his natural stealth. He is never seen approaching unless he wishes to be seen; otherwise, he either draws attention to himself by speaking, or he waits and allows himself to be noticed. In the former case he reveals himself from some hidden niche or other, or just pops up behind his "target"; in the latter, he is always in an extremely conspicuous location, usually just where one had been looking only a moment before. The fact that he makes utterly no sound when he walks only adds to the effect, though he would claim that never tries to conceal himself. On certain important occasions Faust can be seen in the company of another vampire: a woman, with blue eyes and straight, blonde hair that falls just past her shoulders, known only as Madeline. The woman is remarkably somber and rarely speaks, though when she does it is evident that her perception and intellect are almost a match for Faust's?by their manner, it appears that she functions as an assistant of sorts. She will only address him as 'sir'.[/SIZE][/align]

[FONT=Arial]Okay, so I'm a little disappointed. [as] changed their minds about Cowboy Bebop, and it won't be airing on May 19th. Current line-up: ---------------------------------------------------- Apr. 21, 28 11:00 pm: The Oblongs 11:30 pm: The Boondocks 12:00 am: Bleach 12:30 am: Blood + 1:00 am: Eureka 7 1:30 am: Samurai Champloo May 5, 12 11:00 pm: The Oblongs 11:30 pm: The Boondocks 12:00 am: Bleach 12:30 am: Blood + [COLOR=DarkRed]1:00 am: GITS 2nd Gig[/COLOR] 1:30 am: Samurai Champloo May 19 - Jun. 23 11:00 pm: The Oblongs 11:30 pm: The Boondocks 12:00 am: Bleach 12:30 am: Blood + 1:00 am: GITS 2nd Gig [COLOR=DarkRed]1:30 am: Trinity Blood[/COLOR] [U]Except for[/U] Jun. 2: Futurama Marathon All times EST. ---------------------------------------------------- No so bothered that TB's taking Bebop's place, but still. Oh, and there's a Robot Chicken Star Wars Special airing all night on Jun. 17th. Enjoy.[/FONT]

[quote name='Farto the Magic][FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=DarkGreen]I think they should require an age with your gamer profile, and have an age-monitered game. You cannot sign into X's game, unless you're older than 15. In this way, kids can run and scream and beat each other senseless, and adults can have an enjoyable game.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]I like the profile idea. As far as the strictly age-monitored concept goes, though, I'm not sure that that would work completely. There are a few (very few) younger kids who are mature game players and can fuction well on a team as a team member, and I would bet money that there are also some very immature older players who would also throw tantrums, though they may come in different forms. In this arena, being a mental adult counts more than being a physical adult.[/FONT]

[quote name='Ozymandius Jones][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkOrange][/COLOR]Oh snap. [COLOR=DarkOrange]And I thought [/COLOR]TMI[COLOR=DarkOrange] was bad enough...[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial]No Kidding. Especially this bit: [QUOTE][I][B]The Missing Body Parts Scandal[/B] [SIZE=1]One of the most controversial aspects of Sellafield's history is the missing body parts scandal. Over a period of years, tissue samples, organs and even limbs were removed from the corpses of dead employees. After a series of complaints from relatives of the dead employees in 1980, a large-scale investigation ensued during which many of the plant's senior management and even members of the British government were implicated.[/SIZE][/I][/QUOTE] Eww.[/FONT]

[quote name='silpheedpilot][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]...I guess I'm just not understanding why its such a big deal when someone joins a game and a kid has a high-pitched, balls to the stomach voice.[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]That ain't the problem. The problem is when said kid, whose said balls are still against said stomach, starts goin' off like he knows G' and it is quite obvious that not only does he [I]not[/I] know G' but he does not even understand who or what G' is. I don't mind playing with kids. I mind playing with jerk-off kids who think they're somethin'. That's all, really.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'm-a comin', I'm-a comin'. Just need a little time.... [QUOTE][SIZE=1][I]Three hundred lives of Men I walk this Earth, and now I have no time![/I][/SIZE][/QUOTE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Hey, Billy! Mandy's calling. She wants to know why you stuffed Grim in the toilet and how you plan on getting him out.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]^ Dang, how do you follow that? Still, it's worth a shot. #1: "I say....[I]NO DEAL!!![/I]" #2: In a classic example of why crossover anime is never a good idea, here we see a Pikachu still reeling after exposure to Naruto's "sexy jutsu". Fortunately, the nosebleed had already stopped before the picture was taken. ----------- [B]Edit:[/B] That's pretty sweet. (to below)[/FONT]

[quote name='Raiyuu]I think you crazy American types call it [b]Reversi[/b']....[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Nope. I in fact have Othello sitting in my cabinet at home. Good game, too. (Come to think of it, Othello would be an excellent Chess trainer for me. I'm horrible at it.) I love board games that make you think. Clue, Risk, [B]Axis and Allies[/B] (which no one has mentioned so far), Sorry, Stratego, etc. I also like Battleship, but there's less thought involved in that one since one can win by reducing their firing pattern to a simple grid system of elimination. To date, I have never beat my father at Monopoly. Actually, I don't think anyone has....[/FONT]